1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of electrical receptacles.
2. Prior Art
The most commonly employed electrical receptacle, particularly for home use, is the duplex receptacle. For some applications, it is of benefit to have a triplex receptacle installed in a standard (single-gang) outlet box.
Triplex receptacles are known, particularly those where all the blade-receiving openings are parallel to one another and with the openings for receiving the ground prongs disposed along one edge of the receptacle. One such triplex receptacle is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,277.
In some cases, it is desirable to have the openings for the plugs oriented differently than is shown in the above-referenced patent. Specifically, instead of having all the blades receiving openings in side-by-side relationship to one another, in the presently described triplex receptacle the blade-receiving openings form two parallel lines with the ground prong openings disposed along the center line of the receptacle. The invented receptacle permits this orientation in a compact, easy to assemble form. In the past, such orientation of the openings in a triplex receptacle has required the use of a shutter system to prevent the insertion of a plug which did not include a ground prong. This shutter system was necessary to obtain Underwriter's Laboratory's (UL) approval.